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But when the dust settles from this tumultuous offseason and the ball is kicked off in August, Georgia fans once again will be watching a team that will compete for another SEC title. The Bulldogs return two quarterbacks who could start at almost any school in the nation, the flashiest receiver in the league and a defensive line that could be as good as Alabama's was supposed to be last year. But there are enough questions marks -- most notably at offensive line, tailback and linebacker -- to keep the Bulldogs from entering the season as the favorites to defend their league title. Richt's impressive offensive pedigree will be put to the test this year. The Bulldogs return only three starters on offense and there are no juniors or seniors on the offensive line. The defense, by contrast, returns seven starters and could be dominant if its three new linebackers play up to their potential and mature quickly. OFFENSIVE KEYS: Georgia's lone returning starters on offense are quarterback David Greene, wide receiver Fred Gibson and tight end Ben Watson.The quarterback controversy that some predicted would derail the Bulldogs last year is also back. In a surprise to many, backup D.J. Shockley didn't transfer in the offseason. Shockley, a sophomore, played behind Greene last year, and Greene, a junior, did nothing to suggest he's going to give Shockley a shot at the starting job anytime soon. Greene threw for 2,924 yards, was named first-team All-SEC quarterback and probably will enter 2003 on a long list of Heisman Trophy candidates. Still, Richt loves the mobile Shockley, and the former Parade All-American will continue to rotate with Greene and "play more" than he did last year, Richt says. If Shockley continues to develop like Richt thinks he will, he could end up getting almost half of the snaps. Tailback Tony Milton, the expected successor to Musa Smith, will have to hold off true freshman Kregg Lumpkin in the fall. Gibson (20.1 yards per catch career average) could step out of Terence Edwards' shadow to be an All-America-type player. The offensive line, though, will be the biggest key. Georgia lost six linemen to graduation and will have to replace them with freshmen and sophomores. DEFENSIVE KEYS: The Bulldogs' defense returns seven starters and could be dominant if its three new linebackers play up to their potential. By the looks of things after spring practice, Georgia will replace Boss Bailey, Tony Gilbert and Chris Clemons with Tony Taylor, Odell Thurman and Thomas Davis. What those three lack in experience, they make up for in athleticism and speed.The defensive line will be built around defending SEC Player of the Year David Pollack, who had a Georgia-record 14 sacks last year. In the middle, the Dawgs will rotate several 300-pounders. The secondary should be a strength with four returning starters and sophomore reserve Tim Jennings pushing hard to get into the starting lineup if he is able to return to the team after a marijuana charge. SPECIAL TEAMS: Billy Bennett , who has hit all 86 of his extra-point attempts in the past two seasons, returns as the undisputed starter at placekicker. Last season, he hit 26-of-33 field-goal attempts and set the SEC record for most kicking points in a season (130). Nobody stepped up in spring to take over Jonathan Kilgo's punting duties. Georgia is counting on true freshman Andy Bailey to come in and handle punts and kickoffs.FINAL ANALYSIS: The Bulldogs face a stiff challenge if they hope to repeat as SEC champions. Their offensive line will be one major injury away from chaos until some of the six true freshmen coming in this fall get game experience. There's also the quarterback situation. Although Greene proved to be the league's best signal-caller last year, Richt is determined to expand Shockley's role. If Shockley starts taking even more snaps, Greene's patience with the situation might run out.Defensively, the Bulldogs are experienced and deep at every spot except linebacker. If Pollack has another all-star season, the secondary can come up with a few more big plays than it did a year ago and the young linebackers can avoid critical mistakes, Georgia's defense could be dominant. • Click here for complete index of 2003 team previews
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